Reviewed with Fay Sampson's Pangur Ban.Gr. 5-8. Originally published in England in the 1980s, these paperbacks concern Pangur, a white cat from Wales, and his fantastic adventures with a monk named Niall and other inhabitants of a medieval Irish abbey. In Pangur Ban, the cat is sailing in stormy waters with Niall and Finglass, the vengeful princess whose brother has been accidentally slain by the monk. The three almost drown, but instead singing mermaids entrap Niall and a hideous monster threatens to devour Finglass. Pangur pursues a seemingly hopeless quest to find help that is powerful enough to save his friends. Shape-Shifter goes back in time to the cat's origins in a Welsh cave, where a trio of witches seek to make him a conduit for their evil deeds. Pursued by the witches, he finds refuge with Niall and his companions, who have recently come to bring their Christian faith to the Welsh. The shape-shifting scenes that follow, in which the kitten transforms into different animals, are reminiscent of young Arthur's transformation into various creatures in T. H. White's The Sword in the Stone. The classic "battle of good and evil" theme finds fresh interpretation in these adventures. Carolyn Phelan
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From the Publisher
These spellbinding Celtic fantasies, which follow the exploits of the white cat Pangur Bán, his friend Niall, and the Princess Finnglas, are classic tales of good and evil, magic and danger. They are the work of acclaimed author Fay Sampson, three–time nominee for The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.
